Pokemon:4 Years After
by Glomp-Worthy Ash
Summary: It has been 4 years since any body has seen or heard from Ash. In the midst of Team Rocket's attack on Oak's lab, the grown up trainer returns home. Will he able to take down the ever growing Team Rocket Corporation or will he lose once again?
1. Pallet Panic

Pokemon: 4 Years After

Prologue.

Pokemon Master – the elusive title that a trainer receives for mastering the art of pokemon training. This is a rare feat that not many have managed to do. In fact, hundreds of trainers world-wide all start their journeys trying to reach this very goal, but in the end only a handful of exceptional trainers get to be known as Pokemon Masters.

Ash Ketchum, of Pallet Town strove to become one of these exceptional trainers years ago. He trained for many years, traveling with his friends along the many lands of Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and even the Orange Archipelago. He competed in many leagues and would get far in them, but never seemed to win. And eventually, like many trainers, his dream began to fade.

Chapter 1. The Pallet Panic

4 Years Later

"No word from Ash yet?" Brock talked into the phone.

"No, not yet," Max replied, as he looked into the video screen. "I hacked into his Pokegear, but we won't know if he's gotten the message until he contacts us."

"I see. Well, wherever he is, he has to get here fast. Oak really isn't doing so good."

Brock looked up into the air, remembering when he heard the news that Oak's lab had been broken into. Tracey had called him from the Hospital that Oak was being held in, and he told him that nearly every pokemon in lab had been swiped. The only people who could've done such a thing were Team Rocket. But no one was brave enough to stand up to them. In the past 4 years they had gotten bigger than ever before. And now they had targeted Oak's lab.

"Ash where are you…?" Brock thought.

"He's not coming so why even bother," a voice from the back said. Brock turned his head and saw Misty standing in the doors of the Pokemon Center with her bag in hand.

"Misty! What are you doing here?" Brock looked back at the video screen, "Max keep trying. I have to go."

"Sure thing. See ya," Max said.

Brock hung up and walked over to Misty.

"I heard what happened from Delia. She told me you were staying the night at the Viridian Pokemon Center so I thought I'd meet you here." The two hugged.

"It's good to see you."

"You too," Misty smiled. "So is the Professor okay?"

"No, honestly he's not," Brock said.

"What happened? Delia only told me that he was hurt."

Brock nodded and then motioned for her to follow him to a couch. The two sat down and Brock began to fill her in.

"Team Rocket were the ones who did it. Apparently, they were looking for something. And I guess when they didn't find it they retaliated and destroyed the lab, along with stealing all of the pokemon being held there."

"But what were they looking for?" Misty asked.

"I know how you feel about this subject, but from what Oak was able to tell us…they were looking for Ash's pikachu."

"You've to be kidding me! They're still after Pikachu? After all these years? Why can't they just realize that Ash is gone and he's not coming back!" Misty stood up angrily and walked over to a window and looked outside.

"But don't you see Misty?" Brock got up and went over to her.

"Don't I see what?" She turned to him.

"They did this to lure him back."

"Lure him back! Lure him back! Do you seriously think he cares? He left us Brock! He doesn't care about us or anyone for that matter!" Misty looked back outside. Brock began to get angry.

"Hey! Are you even listening to yourself? We're talking about Ash here, our old friend. He left because he did what he had to. Let it go…"

"I can't Brock. I mean yeah I'm over him…but that doesn't mean I've forgiven him for just abandoning us like that. Especially after what we all went through for him!"

Misty stared out into the evening sky over Viridian City. Brock looked at her reflection in the window and saw that a tear had come down her cheek. Whether she said it or not, she really did miss Ash, the way everyone did.

It had been 4 years since Ash had left them. Coincidentally, it had been in that very same Pokemon Center. Four years ago on a not so special night, while Misty and Brock slept soundly, Ash was thinking hard, not able to sleep. With his arms behind his head acting like a pillow and his eyes fixed upwards at the ceiling, he came up with a decision. And with his mind fixed on that decision, he jumped down from his bunk and grabbed his stuff. He fixed himself up and made his way out of the room they were staying at.

Misty had heard him get up though, so she followed him out the door and down the hall.

"Ash?" She called out to him. He turned around and faced her. "Where are you going?"

"I-I…"

"What? You can tell me," Misty told Ash.

"I've been thinking and I…"

"Uh huh"

"And I'm going to go on my journey alone…" Ash looked down at his feet.

"W-what do you mean alone?"

"I don't know how to explain it Mist- but this is what I want to do."

"But why?"

Ash hesitated and then looked up at her.

"I've failed so many times and I don't wanna lose again. Maybe being alone will be better for me," Ash continued to look down, purposely not making eye-contact with her.

"So you're gonna leave us just so you can make yourself feel better?" Misty didn't understand.

"I don't know what to say-" Ash didn't have an excuse for his actions and turned his back to her.

"You can't go Ash," Misty placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry…" He took a step forward and her hand fell off his shoulder. She felt her heart go up into her throat as she watched him make his way towards the doors leading outside.

"He can't leave…." She whispered to herself, "He can't leave because…because I love him."

She yelled out her feelings, "-but….I love you!" She covered her mouth with her hands as soon as the words escaped her mouth. Ash stopped in his tracks. She didn't know what his reaction would be - his eyes were covered by the brim of his hat's shadow.

"There's no way he can leave now," she thought to herself. She knew he wouldn't leave her there like that, they were best friends, he wouldn't do that….he couldn't do that.

Ash turned his head a bit. "See you around Misty…" And he walked out the doors of the Pokemon Center. Misty could only watch him as he walked out of her life on that night. It took all of her courage to finally tell him her feelings and there he had brushed her off like she meant nothing to him. It was a moment that Misty would never forget, and would never forgive Ash for.

"I'm here to see the Professor and that's all. I'm not waiting to see if Ash'll show up. I've spent enough of my life waiting for him to come back," Misty told Brock. He looked at her and then heard a TV being turned up by the Nurse Joy of the Center. Brock turned and saw that it was a news broadcast.

"We're here, live, at the city limits of Viridian City where Team Rocket agents were just apprehended moments ago," A woman reporter talked into her microphone. "Here is video of footage caught earlier of a mysterious trainer wearing a dark cloak battling the two Rockets as they tried to make their escape." Brock watched in awe as he thought he recognized the trainer battling the two Rockets. Misty turned around and started to watch herself. As the video of the battle went on both Brock and Misty were able to identify the mysterious trainer.

"And just like that, the trainer has disposed of both Rockets! We have him here and we're going to have a few words with him," she reached for her right and grabbed the trainers shoulder. The young man walked in front of the camera and his face was shown all over the news.

"It's Gary. So he's back! He must've heard what happened to his Grandfather," Brock said.

"So do you have anything to say?" The reporter asked Gary.

"The only thing I have to say is that those Team Rocket bastards better stay away from here again or something worse will happen to them!" Gary angrily said into the microphone as the reporter nodded.

"And there you have it. Powerful words coming from a very powerful trainer who was able to defeat two very well trained Rockets. That's it from here. This is -"

"Ever since Ash left to train by himself Gary felt he had to do the same. I guess sitting around researching pokemon really wasn't his thing. I can't wait to see both of them go at it again like they used to back in the good ol' days hahaha" Brock laughed. Misty's expression saddened. She turned around and sat back down at the couch. Brock watched her.

"Would you believe me if I told you I still thought about Ash every day?" Misty looked towards the ground as she spoke. Brock didn't say a word. "I still worry about him. I mean he's out there all by himself. I remember when I first met him. It was the first day he set out on his journey - so it's like I was with him since the beginning. I was always there for him, but now whenever I'm lonely and need him…he's not around," Misty cried into her hands. Brock sat down by her and put his arms around her. She fell into his embrace and hugged him back.

"Everything will be okay. You'll see Misty," Brock tried to comfort her.

"No it won't. Ash isn't coming back. He's never coming back!" She angrily said.

Brock then looked up as he saw the doors of the Pokemon Center open. A somewhat tall young man with dark messy hair under a hat stood in the doorway. His dress style reminded him of an old friend but yet it didn't. The boy, who looked to be 17 years old, looked around trying to figure out what to do next. He looked confused, like their old friend. "It couldn't be," Brock thought. The boy then turned his body and Brock got a good look at his front. Around the boy's neck was a necklace with a pokeball hanging down from it. What made this a very important detail was that the pokeball had a lightning bolt embedded over the opening of the ball. "It has to be…" The boy faced Brock and made eye-contact. The boy's face lit up and Brock recognized him.

"…Ash?" Brock managed to say out loud. Misty took her arms away from Brock and looked into Brock's face.

"What did you say?" She asked.

"Ash!" Brock stood up. The boy then ran up to Brock and gave him a big hug. "It's been too long!"

Misty turned her body and saw the boy that Brock was talking to. He looked like Ash, but at the same time he didn't. He was tall. But yet his sense of clothing and hygiene matched Ash's. He wore the same old hat but his other clothes had changed.

The boy then moved from Brock and began to look at her, "Misty?"

When she heard his voice she felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. It was him. It was Ash.


	2. The Loss in Absence

(A/N: I drew pictures of the characters in their new outfits and looks and the links will be in my profile soon!)

4 Years After

Chapter 2. The Loss in Absence

The boy then moved from Brock and began to look at her, "Misty?"

When she heard his voice she felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. It was him. It was Ash.

"Uhh-I-I," Misty found herself at loss for words. Ash extended his arm out to her, to shake her hand, but she couldn't move. Her heart raced, and so did her mind as she tried to think of something to say. But after a second or two it came to her.

"HMPH!" She stood up and held her head up high. Ash looked confused. She folded her arms tightly against her body and began to walk into the back – to the guest rooms. Brock watched her and sighed deeply, his shoulders falling a bit as well.

"What's up with her?" Ash turned to Brock, but he got no reply.

"So where have you been?" Brock switched his attention from Misty to Ash.

Misty got to her room, closed the door behind her, and then slid down the door. She began to cry uncontrollably. The shock of seeing Ash like that – all of a sudden - was too much for her. Never in her wildest dreams had she believed Ash would come back, not ever.

"He acted like nothing ever happened! How could he-?" She reached into her bag and took out something. She looked at it and clenched it tightly against her chest. She began to cry again. It was the one thing that she had of his.

"I don't know why I even keep this thing…" She looked at it hard. It was the hat he had won in a contest years ago. "Why am I even crying?" She asked the hat as if it was going to talk back to her. "Am I happy or… angry….now that he's here?"

"Well, actually I went to a lot of places. I didn't stay in one area too long. I trained anywhere I could find pokemon. I battled anything or anyone I could see," Ash told Brock.

"Sounds like an adventure," Brock said. "How did you survive without any of my food?"

"Now that was the real adventure!" Ash laughed and Brock followed. Brock then looked at the time.

"Well, we better get going. We have to go see the Professor. I mean that is the reason why we're all here anyway."

"Yeah. Should we go get Misty?" Ash looked in the direction of the guest rooms.

"Yeah. Could you go get her?" Brock asked Ash. He nodded and then began to make his way to the back.

Misty stood up and fixed herself up a bit. She still had the hat in hand as she wiped her face clean of any signs of crying. She took a deep breath and then gripped the doorknob.

Ash walked up to her door and took a deep breath, then clenched his fist. But before he could knock on it the door already started to open.

"Oh...I-" Misty was tongue-tied again.

"I-I was just about to come get you. We're going to go see the Professor now...Hey, is that my hat?" Ash spotted his old hat in her hands.

"Oh…this? You dropped it the night you left," Misty said as she looked down at her most prized possession.

"I didn't know what happened to it. I looked everywhere for it!"

"Here you can have it," Misty shoved it into his hands and walked passed him. She went by Brock but didn't even glance at him. Ash stood there speechless, only being able to watch her as she stormed out of the Pokemon Center.

The trio went to Brock's car, which was parked outside. (Walking was not one of Brock's favorite things anymore as he had gotten older. So he bought a car, which brought a whole new crowd of ladies for him to fall over.)

"Do you want to sit in the front Mis-?" But before Ash could finish his question Misty had already gotten in the passenger seat, without saying a word or even looking at him.

Ash shrugged it off and sat in the back. Brock started the car and they made their way down to the hospital.

There was an awkward silence in the car between the three, and the good hour drive to get there didn't help much either. Brock finally decided to break the silence though.

"So hey," he looked in his rear-view mirror to see Ash. "Where's Pikachu?"

Ash laughed as he answered, "In his pokeball."

"Really!"

"Yeah, my training really changed Pikachu…as well as me," Ash looked towards Misty, who was looking out her window, as he explained. She kept her silence and not once even turned her head to look at him or Brock.

Eventually, they finally reached the hospital in Pallet Town. They found Tracey waiting for them in the lobby. When he saw Brock and Misty he smiled, but when he turned and saw Ash his jaw dropped. He was in total surprise. He greeted Ash with a big smile, but then realized he needed to get to more serious matters. He told them what room Oak was being held in, but also filled them in that only one visitor could go in at a time. Brock told Tracey that Ash should go in first for obvious reasons. Tracey nodded and asked Ash to follow him. Misty sighed and let her arms fall to her sides, which led to one of her hands reaching for her other, fully extended arm.

"Ash - I still can't believe how fast you got here – Oak's been wanting to see you."

"He has?" Ash asked.

"Even with his injuries he wanted me to find you. He wanted to discuss something with you. So that's why I called Brock to call Max. I knew he would be able to help and he you are."

"I see," Ash stared down at the floor tiles as they walked towards an elevator.

"You and Gary seemed to have come back at the same time," Tracey pressed the button for an elevator to come down to their level.

"Gary's been gone too?" Ash asked, oblivious that Gary had done such a thing.

"Yeah. Actually, he felt that researching pokemon wasn't as fulfilling as he thought it would. And when he heard of your departure he decided to go on his own journey," an elevator came down and they both got in. Tracey pressed the 4th floor button and the doors shut. "I guess he felt he didn't wanna be out done by you." Tracey smiled, but Ash was in deep thought. Tracey then randomly mentioned how much Ash had grown. They were now the same height. Ash rolled his eyes.

When they reached their floor they got out and Tracey led the way to the Professor's room. A nurse was standing by outside of the Professor's room to make sure no one bothered him, besides visitors and doctors. Ash looked to the nurse and said he was going in to see how Oak was doing and the nurse nodded. Tracey waited outside.

"Professor?" Ash called in a low voice as he entered and closed the door behind himself. The lights were dimmed down so it was hard to see. He walked in slowly and saw someone in a bed. That person stirred in their bed when they saw Ash.

"I said to go find Ash…" Oak said as if he had been telling Tracey this all day.

"-but Professor, it IS me," Ash undimmed the lights a bit.

"Huh?" Oak tried to raise his head on his pillow to get a better view of the boy. "Ash? Is it you?"

"Yeah, it is," Ash walked up to Oak's bedside so the Professor could get a better look at him. The Professor noticed that he had gotten a lot taller since he last saw him. He wore a black dressy type shirt that hid a white muscle shirt underneath. A new hat covered his usual messy hair. He wore dirty blue jeans, which he was now able to get away with because it fit his style. Hanging from the side of his pants was a chain and studded belt. And clipped onto that belt was his old hat (the one he had just got back from Misty). Also, he noticed a pokeball necklace around his neck. The pokeball had a lightning bolt on it.

"Ash Ketchum. It is you!" the Professor smiled widely. "I knew you'd come! I knew it!"

"I heard you had been hurt, I had to come," Ash explained.

"And so you have. It's great to see you-argh-" the Professor tried to get up but he fell back onto his bed. It looked as if he had just remembered a bad pain in his side.

"You shouldn't move Professor. Tracey told me how bad your injuries are so you really should just try to rest."

"Don't worry about me boy," Oak looked up from his pillow. "What you should worry about is what I'm about to tell you."

"What's wrong?" Ash now looked very concerned as Oak's attitude changed.

"My lab…it's been totally destroyed. All of the pokemon stolen and I myself was left for dead," Oak looked up at the ceiling.

"But who did it?" Ash asked desperately. Oak then turned his head to him.

"Who else, but Team Rocket."

"Team Rocket?" It took Ash a second to think. "But what would they want with you?"

"Well, since you've been gone their plans sort of have changed."

"What do you mean?"

"A year after you left, Team Rocket wasn't doing so well. It was almost non-existent for quite some time, until a drastic change occurred," Oak paused for a second then continued. "Team Rocket's head was overthrown by two Rocket's alone. Because of their actions, the two were promoted by the executives of Team Rocket and given leadership of the whole corporation."

"So their old leader's been done away with?" Ash thought deeply.

"Yes, and along with him was any restraint the company once had, because now they pull off crimes here and there without control. Everyday there's another report of Team Rocket being involved with some sort of disaster one way or another. But with me, I wasn't just an average target. They came to my lab for a reason. They were searching for something."

"What were they looking for?" Ash asked impatiently. Oak looked up at his concerned expression and then leaned over. He lifted his hand and reached out for Ash's hanging necklace.

"For this Ash…" Oak said quietly.

"Pikachu?" Ash asked and Oak nodded.

"The agents in charge of Team Rocket are two that you know very well," Oak told Ash.

"Jessie and James…" Ash's voice trailed off. "How the hell did those two idiots get to where they're at?"

"Trust me Ash, they aren't idiots anymore. They've single handedly brought back the fear that Team Rocket used to be known for. And they were the ones who've got me like this and destroyed my lab."

"What could they want with my Pikachu?" Ash thought aloud.

"When they discovered that Pikachu wasn't with me they set my place ablaze, but I seriously believe they knew I wouldn't have Pikachu. They destroyed the Lab in order to get you to come out of hiding. They've challenged you to come back," Oak told Ash.

The doors to Oak's hospital room opened. Ash came walking out taking off his hat and scratching his head. He walked over to Tracey who was sitting on a bench waiting for him.

"So what did he say?" Tracey got up. Ash continued to scratch his head. "Well?" Tracey asked again.

"You know what?" Ash said as he put on back his hat. "I think I need to take a bath. I'm gonna go visit my mom." Ash walked over to the elevator without saying another word to Tracey. He went through the doors and watched as Tracey stayed in the same place. Ash shrugged and went down to the lobby where Brock and Misty were. He told Brock exactly what Oak told him and Misty overheard. From there he told Brock that he would really like to visit his mom since he hadn't seen her for four years.

"She was worried sick about you when you first left you know that?" Brock said as he looked in the rear-view mirror to look at Ash in the backseat. "Your mom that is."

"Really?" Ash said as he looked out his window and saw the stars shining over his hometown.

"But she said you'd eventually come back one day," Brock smiled. Misty looked out her window and didn't react to anything the two were saying. It was as if she wasn't even riding in the same car as Brock and Ash were.

Ash heard Brock speak again, but he wasn't listening. He looked over to Misty. She was silent as she had been all day. Why was she acting that way? She never used to get like this. Was it because of him? She still couldn't've been mad at him for leaving four years ago could she? It was all boggling his mind.

And on top of everything, he had just learnt that it was his fault that Oak's lab had been attacked. And ever since his disappearance, Team Rocket had slowly become a great power that was now towering over all of Kanto.

He had also heard that Gary had gone back to training pokemon again. He wondered what it would be like to battle him again, the way they used to. So much stuff was happening all at once. Everything had somehow changed since he'd been gone. He really had missed a lot.

"Okay Ash, we're here," Brock put the car in park. Ash looked up and saw his mom's house lit up with lights coming from the inside.


	3. Surprise in the Night

Pokemon: 4 Years After

Chapter 3. Surprise in the Night

"Okay Ash, we're here," Brock put the car in park. Ash looked up and saw his mom's house lit up with lights coming from the inside.

The three went up the walkway. Ash took a deep breath and gave a knock at the door. A few seconds later, he heard someone coming down the stairs. He got a bit nervous and looked back to his friends.

"Wish me luck!" He said.

Misty pretended not to notice, but Brock gave him an encouraging smile. The doorknob suddenly turned and the door began to creak. Ash turned his head back towards it. He expected to see his mother, but instead he had to look down a few inches to see Mr. Mime.

"Hey there," Ash said to it. Mr. Mime, however didn't seem to recognize him.

"It's me, Ash." Mr. Mime tilted his head a bit, but after a few seconds it realized that it WAS Ash. It began to jump up and down. He then quickly ran off, up the stairs. Ash could only laugh as he watched his mom's favorite pokemon panic at the sight of him. He pushed open the door all the way and stepped in, along with Brock and Misty.

Suddenly, Ash saw his mother come into view as Mr. Mime tugged her by her wrist from upstairs. He could hear her saying things like "What's going on Mimey? Did something happen? Who's…." She looked down at her visitors and pulled her wrist free from Mr. Mime. Her hands covered her mouth when she got a good look at Ash. She recognized him immediately. Mr. Mime continued to cry out.

"Ash…" They all could see tears beginning to swell up in her eyes. Delia came running down the stairs and took her son into her arms. Ash was waiting for this and smiled deeply, almost crying himself. He had missed her so much. After all, he had been gone for 4 years and hadn't called or sent her an email during that whole time. Brock was touched and no matter how hard Misty tried to fight it, even she gave in to a smile.

"So where have you been!" Ash's mother pleaded to know.

"Here and there. I traveled a lot," Ash said calmly.

"I see. Well, I'm sure you heard what happened to Professor Oak. I can even bet that's the reason why you came back. Am I right?"

"…yeah…" Ash seemed somewhat ashamed to answer this truthfully.

"Well, I'm just glad to see you back dear," Delia gave out a big smile.

After a few minutes, of observing, as they talked, Ash's mother could see a tension between Misty and her son. Delia had known about their situation, since Misty had explained the whole thing after Ash's departure. She and her had gotten to become very close during the four years. And she had thought that the whole thing between the two was cute, but apparently her son was still oblivious to the entire thing.

Eventually, Delia noticed Ash's dirty clothes and how bad he smelled.

"And I can bet you haven't been changing your underwear everyday huh?" She folded her arms as she looked at him. Ash's face turned red. She smiled and told him that he if he hopped into the shower she would clean his clothes. He smiled widely and ran up to his mother and gave her a kiss on the cheek, then ran up the stairs and disappeared around the corner. Misty then got up rudely and opened the front door.

"I'm going to go for a walk," Misty said in a stern voice before she went outside and closed the door behind her. Brock and Delia looked at each other and shrugged.

Ash opened the shower door and turned the knobs of the shower on. He felt as the water turned warm and waited until he was satisfied with the temperature. Ash then took off his hat and placed it on the bathroom counter. He stripped off the rest of his clothes and laid them outside by the door. Ash stepped into the shower and closed the door. He gave out a deep sigh as the warm water started to spray onto his dirty hairy.

Outside, when Misty closed the door behind noticed that a full moon was beaming from the sky above. She placed her hands on the white fence that surrounded Delia's garden. The moon was so beautiful. She remembered all the nights she spent looking at it thinking if Ash was okay. She sighed then kicked the dirty under her.

"Why do I keep thinking about him!"

She was mad at herself, not knowing what she was feeling at the moment. She needed time to think. She turned her head, and from her angle, she was able to see a swing set in the backyard. She took her hands off the fence and walked towards it.

Ash planted his hands on the shower wall and went into deep thought.

"Was my training really worth it? Maybe I shouldn't have gone at all," he started t regret his decision of ever leaving. Sure, his training had made him stronger, but that was only what it did for him. But what about everyone else? From what he had seen so far, everyone was miserable while he had been gone. Brock seemed tired and stressed. His mother had been worried sick about him. Professor Oak had been attacked. Team Rocket had grown bigger than he ever thought possible. And Misty wouldn't talk to him, let alone look at him.

"Argh!" he slammed one of his fists against the shower wall.

"…why am I crying?" Misty felt a tear fall down onto her arm as she sat on one of the swings. She then took her arm and rubbed it against her cheek to wipe away her tears.

Ash stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel. He ran it across his body a few times and then began to dry his hair thoroughly. He looked into the mirror as his hair stuck up in every possible direction. He then wrapped the towel around his waist and opened the door to shout to his mom for his clothes, but before he let so much as a breath escape from his mouth, he looked down and saw his clothes. They had been washed, neatly folded, and placed by the bathroom door. He picked them up with a smile and went back into the bathroom to change into them.

"I have to go talk to her. Gotta find out what's wrong…" he thought as he changed. He pulled up his pants and latched on his belt. He buttoned up his black dress shirt and then walked out of the bathroom. He took his extra hat and stuff to his room, which he laid on his bed, but then noticed something out of his window. He looked outside, to the backyard, and saw Misty sitting on one of the swing sets, alone. He took a deep breath and then ran out of his room before he could even think about what he was doing.

"This is my chance. Can't screw this up Ash," he coached himself.

Ash ran slid down the stair banister, and jumped off once he was all the way down. He was about to run out the door when his nose brought him back a few feet, leading him to the kitchen. The scent of something cooking caught his attention. He went in and saw Brock and his mom by the counter cutting up vegetables and dropping them into a big stew.

"Ahh Ash, I thought you were gonna drown in there," his mom joked.

"We're making one of your favorite dishes. It'll be done in about half an hour," Brock said as he looked back to Ash.

"In the mean time maybe you should go see how Misty's doing…" Delia mentioned.

Ash remained silent. He turned around and left the kitchen. He went through the front door and started making his way down to the backyard when he saw Misty – she was looking down at the ground as she swung weakly off the ground. He approached her slowly, but when she heard a noise (he kicked a rock across the ground accidentally) from his walking, she looked up and saw him. The moment she saw him she stood up and began to walk away.

"No-Wait!" Ash held his arm out, motioning for her to stay.

She stopped.

"I wanna talk," he added.

She kept her back to him. He stepped forward.

"Misty…I-" he found himself not knowing what to say. What could he say that would make her feel better? "-I- I'm sorry." He took a breath and looked to the ground. "I'm sorry that I left. And I'm sorry for taking this long to realize that," he looked up to her. "If I had known that all of this would've happened just because of me…I wouldn't have gone," his eyes found the ground. "It's just…I was selfish. I was selfish because I really wanted to become stronger. I had gone through so much…but no matter how hard I tried I-" he gritted his teeth, "-I always came out second best." He felt a surge of anger go through him. He knew that perhaps if he hadn't of gone then everything would be the way it used to be. He looked up to her again. She remained motionless.

"If I had stayed then I wouldn't have hurt you…" his voice faded. Misty folded her arms and covered her mouth with one of her hands. "That's the last thing I ever wanted to do you. You were always with me, even from day one when I started my journey. I spent 4 years thinking about you and wondering if you still meant the words you said the night I left," he walked a bit closer to her. She felt him coming but she still didn't move. "And now that I've come back, I've felt something I hadn't when I left. And if I had felt it back then, then I know I wouldn't have left," he took a deep breath. Misty was left hanging on those words for a few moments. So many memories and thoughts ran through her in those seconds of silence, until Ash broke her concentration. "Misty…I- I love you…" She raised her head as if hearing something shocking. She turned her body around and looked into Ash's eyes. He looked back at her and saw tears running down her cheeks. His heart was in his throat and he felt his stomach sink. She threw her arms around him and held him tightly. He felt lifeless for a second, before slowly putting his arms around her as well.

"Ash…" Misty lifted her head up from his shoulder and looked up with her tear-filled eyes. "I've missed… you so much..." she kept sobbing. "I thought…you were…never coming back…"

"How could you think that? Of course I was going to come back," Ash told her as he looked into her eyes. She gave a smile and leaned in to kiss him.

Suddenly, Ash then heard something rustle in the bushes in front of him. He lifted his head to see what it was. Misty let her grip on him loosen as she heard the noise come from behind her. She turned to see what it was. Ash slowly gripped one of his pokeballs on his belt as his eyes wandered around the bushes.

But instantly, out of nowhere, two ninja stars flew toward Ash and Misty. In a second of reaction time, Ash threw down Misty behind himself to safety and blocked one of the stars with the ball in his hand. The other star went flying and hit the wall. The bushes broke open as someone came jumping out. Ash took a step back as a dark robed person landed a few feet away from him. Ash gritted his teeth, waiting for anything as the smaller statured person stood up from her kneeled position.

"Who are you?" Ash demanded.

The person standing in front of him wore ninja's garb and didn't make a noise. A slit in the face portion of the outfit was the only skin he could see. The ninja reached behind him self and took out two pokeballs. Ash reacted again instantly and pecked another pokeball from his belt.

"Kill him!" A girl's voice came from the ninja. Ash's eye twitched. She threw her pokeballs with an evil grin. In a flash of light, a sneasel and ariados appeared before Ash.

Ash smiled at the sight.

"So a battle huh? Well, you already made a mistake by letting me see what pokemon you're gonna use first…but it really doesn't change my decision on what pokemon I'll use," he said seriously.

"Absol, Go!" The pokeball he had out first flew out of his hand and in a burst of light came out an Absol, which gave an eerie shriek once it was released. Ash put away the pokeball he had in his other hand. The ninja's eyes squinted in anger.

"Sneasel, metal claw!" The ninja commanded.

"Absol, dodge," Ash said calmly, almost as if not even taking time to think. Absol shrieked as it bolted aside from the oncoming glowing claws of Sneasel. It moved each time Sneasel swung, every time hitting nothing but air.

"Ariados, constrict!" With a loud sputter, the spider-like pokemon spit out a string of webbing out of its back and it hurled towards Absol. Ash watched with his arms folded.

"Dodge and lure it's attack away," Ash said calmly again. This time Absol got away from the attack and also jumped in front of Sneasel. Almost as if knowing exactly what Ash was thinking, Absol got Ariados to shoot out its webbing toward Sneasel.

"Get out of there," Ash commanded. Absol jumped out of the way of the attack, letting it hit Sneasel instead, wrapping it in the unbreakable webbing. Ash took his opportunity during the ninja's shock.

"Absol, quick attack Ariados, then double team around the girl," Ash gave a fist.

"Wha-!" The ninja jumped in surprise.

"Ash, no!" Misty cried, but before she knew it, Absol had tackled the Ariados into a tree and was now hurdling its way over a bush to get the ninja. With a loud cry into the air, Absol then began to multiply itself into many copies and run circles around its opponent.

"Huh-" the ninja was confused and looked up at Ash in fear.

"Slash!" Ash yelled out. The ninja looked back down and saw Absol pouncing at her. She tried her best to jump out of the way but Absol's claws managed to slash her across her face. She still stood, but with her face looking to the left. Absol landed behind her. Then after a second, the veil and top of the ninja outfit feel off the girl's face and made its way to the ground. Misty looked at the girl then at Ash.

"What's gotten into him? He even attacked her!" She thought.

The girl took her hand and rubbed it against her cheek, and pulled it away to see how bad the bleeding was.

"So who are you?" Ash asked. The girl then turned to face him as she panted. Ash's eyes widened when he saw her face. A large letter R was marked underneath her right eye, above her bleeding cut.

"Ariados, Night Shade!" the Rocket agent called out fiercely.

"Perish Song!" Ash yelled out immediately. Ariados was beginning to attack but stopped when it heard Absol crying a song.

"What are you doing!" The Rocket asked. Ash smiled and then pointed towards her.

"Absol, quick attack!" Ash ordered and Absol charged towards her. She didn't have time to call out an attack. She was on her belly before she knew it.

"Absol, return," Ash held out its pokeball and recalled it.

"Arghh…" the girl struggled to crawl, "…A-Ariados, tackle!" Without a second to delay the pokemon began to make its way towards Ash, but he didn't flinch. Misty watched him and wondered what he was doing.

"Call out your pokemon you idiot!" Misty cried to Ash. He didn't move. The ninja girl grinned as her Ariados was about to crush him. Ash watched it carefully then suddenly when the pokemon was about to jump and make its move, it fainted in its tracks.

"What the hell!" The Rocket yelled out.

"Perish song…" Ash said and the Rocket agent dropped her head onto the ground. Ariados returned to its pokeball.

Immediately following the end of the battle another rustle came from the bushes. Ash grabbed one of his pokeballs ready for anything. But instead of another Rocket, it was Gary, wearing his trademark cloak.

"Wha-" Gary looked at the scene, first at the Rocket then at Ash. "Is that you…Ash?"

"Gary?" Ash asked.


	4. Fires Burn for Ash

A/n: sorry for the short chapter

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Pokemon: 4 Years After

Chapter 4. Fires Burn for Ash

"Wha-" Gary looked at the scene, first at the Rocket then at Ash. "Is that you…Ash?"

"Gary?" Ash asked.

Suddenly, both Brock and Ash's mother came running from inside.

"We heard a few noises out here. Is there-" Brock stopped when he saw the fallen Rocket on the ground.

"What happened?" Delia asked, still wearing her apron. Gary was standing next to the ninja. Ash put away the pokeball he had taken out.

"Where have you been?" Gary asked almost emotionlessly.

"Does it matter?" Ash replied.

"Maybe it does…" Gary stared at him, showing some anger in his eyes. "Why did you come back?"

"I heard of the attack."

"So you decided to be the hero again?" Gary asked not expecting an answer. "When you left I didn't expect you to ever come back, but," he lifted a hand, "here you are…" he looked down at the fallen trainer, "and in top form too."

"What are you getting at?" Ash asked.

"When you left I had to come back to Pokemon training. Team Rocket had always feared you, but when they heard that you had left they went all out. It's always intrigued me why they've always had a liking to you and your Pikachu. But here you were, battling a member of Team Rocket, and yet you didn't even use Pikachu. You've peaked my curiosity Ash," Gary smiled. He threw his cloak over his shoulder and took a pokeball into his hand. "I want to battle you. I want to see what you've been doing all this time."

"Fine by me," Ash grabbed and enlarged a pokeball.

"Sneasel!" The Rocket called out from the ground. Her pokemon, who was behind Ash, tore through the webs that held its arms together at the sound of its master. With everyone's attention drawn to that, the ninja got away from the group and gave another command. Sneasel then ran smoothly through Brock and Ash's mom, and then jumped up and threw its arm and claw behind Misty's neck.

"No!" Ash yelled out.

"Haha," the Rocket laughed manically from atop a tree branch behind Gary. "What are you going to do about it?"

Ash gritted his teeth, dropping his arm with the pokeball.

"So you're from Team Rocket?" Brock stepped up.

"That's right," she smiled. The letter R on her cheek seemed to glow in the night.

"Ash…" Misty whispered beneath Sneasel's claws looking directly at him. He turned to the ninja.

"If you hurt her then I'll-"

"-You'll what?" She asked with a smile. "I was sent to kill you, but to see you suffer would be just as good."

"Kill me?" Ash asked. "Is that what you're here to do?"

The ninja nodded slowly.

"Then if you're here for me then why are you wasting your time on her?" Ash demanded.

"I was ordered to kill you, but things have seemed to have gotten…a bit complicated."

" Just do what you came here to do!" Ash stood in front of Misty unafraid.

"Oh I'd love to…but as I said things have gotten complicated and -"

"You didn't expect him to be this strong," Gary said, interrupting the two.

"What?" The ninja turned her head to him. Gary took a step towards the tree.

"You heard me!" Gary snapped back.

"Why you-"

"Let me ask you this first though, before you go on…What's your name?"

"W-why do you want to know?"

"Because I want to tell your bosses your name when you go back empty handed"

"I'm afraid that won't happen, but I will tell you who I am before I kill this girl," she looked very angry now. Sneasel held its claw closer to Misty's neck almost mimicking her master's anger. Ash held his breath. Brock and Delia didn't move an inch in fear if they did the ninja would get mad.

"Very well. My name is Ura… a Team Rocket assassin."

"An assassin huh?"

"That's right," she said proudly.

"Then if you were to go back and not have the job done then I'm sure you'd be punished. Am I right?" Gary asked, wearing a grin. This made her uneasy.

"I'm sure I would be…" Ura looked back to Ash, raising one eyebrow, "assuming I didn't leave here without doing some kind of damage heh heh heh," she laughed.

"Mimey, Psychic!" Delia called out quickly. Everyone turned their head to her. Mr. Mime jumped out of the window from behind and used its attack.

"No!" Ura yelled. Sneasel flew backwards, being hit hard by a strong pink energy beam. Ash took Misty into his arms and stood to the side. Sneasel slid across the ground and rolled around lifelessly before coming to a stop. Immediately, both Gary and Ash, in unison took out a pokeball each from their belts and pelted them forward.

"Scizor!"

"Absol!"

Ura looked around. The table's had turned and her odds were looking bad now. She turned to her fallen pokemon and recalled it.

"Hmph!" She smiled and shrugged. "Time for Plan B…" Ura turned her back to them. Gary and Ash took a step forward, standing next to their pokemon. Then after a loud silence, a defeaning BANG filled the air. Before anyone had realized it Ash's houses' windows blew out and a large explosion followed. Brock jumped out in time to shield both Delia and Mr. Mime from the flying debris and roaring flames. Ash was in such an awe that he didn't know what to do or say. But when Gary called out an attack for Scizor he came back to his senses.

"Later Ash Ketchum," Ura said, turning her head back to him. Ash looked up at her but then focused on Gary's Scizor who was now charging towards the tree. He looked back up at her. She jumped higher onto the top branches and then disappeared amongst the leaves.

"Scizor, False Swipe!" Gary ordered. Scizor swung its massive right claw and sliced the tree in two. But when the tree came tumbling down nothing or no one fell out. Ash began to walk towards it, but Misty stopped him. Gary went over to the log and saw nothing. But suddenly, he turned his head up and then climbed over the tree, jumped the fence, and ran into the fields.

"Ash, no," she tugged on his arm. He looked back to her. "Just let him go alone. We need you here," Ash saw the orange flames reflect off the side of her face. She was sad, knowing he would go anyway no matter what she said. He looked back to the house and his mother crying over it. Brock had called out his Swampert and was trying to douse out the fire. Ash turned back to Misty and then kissed her quickly on the lips. It took her a few seconds to realize what happened.

"Absol, let's go!" Ash jumped over the fallen tree and followed Gary. Misty watched him as he disappeared into the darkness. She turned around back to the fire.

"Politoad, go!"

Ash looked into the distance and saw Gary's cloak deep in the fields. He ran at a fast pace through the tall grass, his Absol alongside him. Ash searched around but then lost sight of Gary.

"W-where did he go? Where did THEY go?" He stopped and looked all around. "Do you see them?" Absol threw its nose in the air and tried to find a scent. "Anything?" Absol shook its head in return. "Damn it! Where the hell could he have-"

"Ash!" A voice from behind called. Ash turned his head and saw Gary.

"Gary!" He was walking slowly toward Ash, alone. Scizor apparently back in its pokeball.

"Did you find her?" Ash asked.

"Ura? No…I lost her. She practically disappeared right in front of me."

"Damn…" Ash clenched his fists. "I have to find her!" He was furious. She had destroyed his house and almost hurt Misty, and he couldn't get back at her for it.

"Listen Ash." Gary said in a calm voice. Ash looked up at him. "Take your Mom and the others to Viridian City for the night. I'll be there tomorrow morning to meet with you."

"Why? What for?"

"I have to talk to you about Team Rocket."

"What about them?" Ash asked anxiously.

"I think I know what they're up to," Gary revealed.


	5. Answers in Viridian

Pokemon: 4 Years After

Chapter 5. Answers in Viridian

"I have to talk to you about Team Rocket… I think I know what they're up to," Gary revealed.

Ash replayed those words over and over again in his head. He lay on his bed with his arms behind his head. His eyes fixed to the ceiling above. He and everyone had left to go to the Viridian City Pokemon Center after he had come back from meeting Gary in the fields. When he had returned to his house it no longer was on fire. Misty and Brock had taken care of that, though it did little to help. But his mother did manage to salvage his old hat that he had left in his room earlier.

"Ash…" Misty mumbled in her sleep. She and he shared a bed due to the lack of space in the Center that night. His mother thought it was cute. Ash turned his head and looked over to Misty. She was sleeping soundly. He gave a smile. Ash then threw his legs over the side of the bed and planted his feet on the ground. He held his head with his hands, covering his eyes.

"What was it that Gary knew about Team Rocket?" He asked himself. "Why did they send that assassin? It still can't be all about Pikachu, can it?" He raised his arm and tugged the necklace that held a Pokeball around his neck. It unlatched and he stared at it. The lightning bolt on the front was as bright as the day he got it.

"Ash…Are you okay?" Misty was sitting up now next to him. She gave out a yawn.

"Huh?"

"Why aren't you asleep?" She asked.

"I can't."

"Is what Gary told you still bothering you?" As soon as she said Gary's name Ash turned and faced her. She looked into his eyes with the help of the moonlight coming from the window.

"…Yeah," he said hesitantly.

"Oh Ash, don't worry about it," she laid her head onto his bare back and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Whatever he's got to tell you, he'll tell you tomorrow."

"I-I guess," Ash looked down and placed one of his hands on top of her hand on his shoulder.

"Ok, then go back to sleep. For all you know he might wanna battle you tomorrow like he wanted to today," she said playfully. Ash smiled.

"Alright," he gave him. Misty then got up and leaned over closer to him. He came towards her and they shared a deep kiss before getting back to sleep. When they pulled back Misty gave out another yawn and then lay back down in the same position she was a second ago. Ash did the same.

"G'nite," Misty said softly.

"'nite," Ash replied as he grabbed the blanket and pulled it over the two of them.

When Ash opened his eyes the next morning he found himself alone in bed. A note was at his side. Ash yawned then read the note slowly.

"Ashy boy,

Good morning. Sorry, I'm not there, I didn't wanna wake you up. I thought you might have had a long trip to get home so I decided to let you sleep in. Your mom, Brock, and I went to get something to eat. I'll bring you something when we get back.

See ya soon,

Misty"

Ash smiled at the note then yawned again. He put the note down and got out of bed.

"I hope Mist gets me my favorite," he thought to himself. He grabbed his shirt and brought it down over his head.

"I wonder when Gary's goin to show up," although very tired and hungry Ash still remembered the appointment he had later. He was still very eager to get some answers. Ash slipped on his gloves and tightened his belt. A knock then came at the door.

"Come in," Ash said. Nurse Joy creaked open the door and stuck her head inside the room.

"Ash Ketchum?" She asked.

"That's me."

"You have a guest in the lobby."

"Oh really!" His mind began to race. Could it be Gary already? "I'll be there in a sec!"

"Okay," Nurse Joy said. She closed the door behind herself as she left. Ash grabbed his hat and topped his head off with it.

When he got to the lobby, instead of seeing Gary, he saw two old familiar faces.

"Ash!" The two yelled out at the same time. It was Max, who still wore the same big glasses and had grown a bit, and May, who looked more womanly since the last he saw her. May's hair was almost identical to how it used to be, but now she had a long tail of hair going to her mid-back as well. She wore something that accentuated her long legs, although it was quite short, not that Ash minded.

"I missed you so much!" May said as she stood inches away from him. She had grown a lot too. She had to be at least one or two inches taller than he was now. He however wasn't expecting what she was going to do next. She threw her arms around him and embraced him tightly. At that moment, the double doors to the Center slid open and Misty and the others walked in. When May pulled back her head she leaned in and gave Ash a kiss on the cheek. He turned red and blushed. Immediately, however, Ash heard a loud voice come from the front.

"What are you doing to him?" Misty called out. May let go of Ash and turned around. Misty was now walking toward them. She shoved the food she had in a bag into Ash's arms and stood toe to toe with May. The two girls' eyes met.

"Oh no. Here we go again," Max rolled his eyes.

"I'll uhhh be in the room," Delia hurried over to the back to avoid the conflict.

"Oh…M-Misty, I-I didn't know you were here," May sized Misty up.

"Well, I am here, but the question is why are you here?" Ash's eyes widened at the sound of Misty's voice. "Shouldn't you be back in home helping your "Daddy" with the gym?" Misty said in a harsh tone. Electricity was being sent back and forth between the girls' stares.

Ash leaned over and asked Brock in a whisper, "What's with them?"

"May's had a crush on you ever since we were in Hoenn. So when Misty found out she got pretty upset. That's why she decided to travel with us again after you finished the Battle Frontier. They're fighting over you dude," Brock nudged Ash.

"….WHAA!" Ash jumped.

"She's here to visit Ash," a male's voice came from the front. May and Misty turned at the same time to the voice. Ash, Brock, and Max looked over as well. Standing in front of the double doors was Gary, in his usual cloak. Then, without a second of hesitation, Ash gave the bag of food he had to Brock and then left the Pokemon Center with Gary.

"So what's up?" Ash asked. Gary remained silent. He looked like something was bothering him. They continued to walk down the sidewalk until finally Gary broke the silence.

"Look over there," Gary stopped and pointed.

"The Gym?" Ash asked.

"The Viridan Gym, you've been there twice. Am I right?" Ash took a second to think. Gary began to walk again, leaving Ash to his thoughts.

"Yeah. Once against Team Rocket and another time against Agatha. Why do you-"

Gary turned his head over his shoulder, "We can't stop or we'll be spotted here."

Ash ran back up to catch up with Gary.

"Agatha's dead."

"Dead!" Ash exclaimed in shock. "W-what happened to her?"

"After you left they took care of her."

"They?" Ash looked down at the ground.

"They did it in order to take back the gym," Gary explained, still looking straight ahead.

"They?" Ash looked up at Gary, "Who's they?"

Gary turned and looked at Ash, "Team Rocket." Ash was taken by this news.

"Team Rocket killed Agatha?" He said in his head. "How was that possible? She was a Pokemon Master, also, one of the original Elite Four of the past. How could she have been done in so easily?" But before he could continue, Gary cut off his thoughts.

"It seems that once you left they decided to come out into the open. And when they had taken back the Gym, they needed someone to run it for them," he turned to Ash. "A Gym Leader. And they came to me."

"And what did you tell them?"

"I refused, but that didn't stop them."

"What do you mean?"

"After I told them no, they kept messing with me. So in return I began to take down some of their agents in the middle of their assignments. They began to get angry and actually send out groups to come and finish me. I suppose they saw me as another you."

"Another me?" Ash wondered what that meant.

"Another annoyance…" Gary grinned. Ash shook his head. "It took them a while, but they figured I was too smart for them to handle personally, so they -"

"Took out your grandpa's lab?" Ash asked, also finishing what Gary was about to say.

Gary looked to Ash, who had a very serious look on his face. "…Yeah," he answered slowly. He stared down at his feet then back at Ash. "I heard about you when I came back to pokemon training. 'The trainer with the Pikachu.' They say he beat anyone who came to battle him," Gary looked to Ash but he didn't look back. "Some even called him a Pokemon Master…" Ash continued to stare off in the distance. "I want to know," Gary stopped. "Where were you?" Ash walked about two steps more in front of him and then stopped himself. He turned around and then scratched the back of his head.

"I was training," Ash smiled. Gary did the same.

"That's about as much of an answer I was expecting to get," he laughed. "But I do have one more thing to ask.

"You want me to help you stop Team Rocket?"

"I know we can do it."

"You ask me like you think I'm going to say no…" Ash smiled.

"So, you'll help me?" Gary asked seriously. Ash looked him in the eye.

"Of course. I have to pay them back for what they've been doing," Ash caught a punch he gave to his left hand.

"Great."

"Something been bothering me though," Ash folded his arms.

"What is it?" They began to start walking again.

"How could Team Rocket have killed Agatha?" Ash lifted one arm for a gesture. One of Gary's eyes twitched at the question.

"How is it hard to believe? They could've done it the way they tried to kill my grandfather."

"But the Professor wasn't a Pokemon Master," Ash clearly pointed out. "It would've taken a really experienced and powerful trainer to defeat her. And honestly, Jessie and James weren't that strong the last time I met up with them." Gary shrugged.

"You're pretty smart… I don't know the answer to your question now," Gary added. "It's a mystery. And I guess you'll have to solve it."

Suddenly, a blaring police siren could be heard far away. Ash's pocket vibrated soon after. He took out his PokeGear, which was the cause for the vibration. He opened it and May came onto the screen.

"Ash!"

"May? What's wrong?"

"Ash! You gotta get here quick!"

"What happened?"

"T-team Rocket's here! They're all over the place!"

"I'll be there as soon as I can! Where's everyone else?" Ash and Gary looked at each other and then began to run back towards the Pokemon Center.

"All of us are trying to battle them, but I think they got Misty- hey, let go of me- Ash! Get here quick!" The PokeGear's screen then snowed out.


	6. Misty and Mayhem

A/N: Sorry guys for the long wait on this chapter. I haven't been getting around to writing so that's what's been holding me up. I'm going to try to consistently put up new chaps at least once a week. I seriously don't know how long I'm going to make this fic, but I'm hoping not too long but not too short. Well, anyway, that's enough of my chattering and I'll let you get to your reading. Enjoy! And remember if you go to my profile and then to my homepage, u can see drawings of all the pokemon characters in this fic and what they would all look like if they were 4 years older…

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Pokemon: 4 Years After

Chapter 6. Misty and May-ham!

"T-team Rocket's here! They're all over the place!" May told Ash through the PokeGear. "All of us are trying to battle them, but I think they got Misty- hey, let go of me- Ash! Get here quick!" The PokeGear's screen then snowed out.

Gary and Ash looked to each other and nodded. Ash then took a pokeball from his belt. Suddenly, a loud BOOM could be heard a few streets down, over some buildings from where they were standing.

"…Misty…." Ash thought. He clenched the pokeball tightly and then released his Charizard. Gary and he straddled themselves onto its back and flew into the air. Ash just hoped everything would be okay by the time he got there.

On the other side of those buildings, however, lay a Pokemon Center in chaos. The windows had been blown out and the roof had caught fire. People and their pokemon were running out of the Pokemon Center in panic. A helicopter, with the Team Rocket "R" insignia on the side of it, flew overhead dropping Rocket agents down to the ground.

Ash and Gary caught sight of the blazing Center from high in the sky.

"We need to land right there," Ash pointed. Charizard growled in reply. From what the two could see, a number of trainers were fighting back against Team Rocket. Ash noticed Brock and Max were amongst the group battling in front of the flaming Center.

When they landed across the street from the mayhem, Ash recalled Charizard and looked around to try to find the others.

"Look!" Gary pointed. Ash turned his head and saw a Team Rocket agent running into the Pokemon Center from the back.

"I'll follow'em. You help the others," Ash ordered and Gary nodded. Ash then ran as fast as he could to catch up.

"Misty must still be inside. I didn't see her in the front," Ash thought as he ran into the building. Coming out, though, was May. She bumped right into Ash, making him to fall onto the ground.

"Ash, I'm so glad you're here," she looked really worried. Ash got to his feet quickly.

"I just saw a Rocket run into here, where'd they go?"

"…I didn't see anyone come in."

"I was just following them!"

She broken from her strange silence and then burst out into tears, "they got her! Ash, they got Misty! I'm so sorry. You gotta follow them!" She kept going on and on. He was getting worried. Ash placed his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes, "What are you talking about?" She then took a deep breath and told him what had happened. "Team Rocket busted their way in here and then started blowing everything up. Then they came and got Misty, like that was their plan or something. We tried to stop but more Rockets kept coming. I'm sorry Ash!" She threw herself into his arms.

"It's okay May," Ash told her. "Where's my mom?"

"I'm not sure, I think she's outside."

"Ok ok, stay right here and I'm going to go help the others outside," Ash turned his back and ran out the way he came in. May gave an evil smile. Once Ash was clearly out of sight May walked into one of the bedrooms in the back and closed the door behind her.

"Exploud, Hyper Voice," Gary commanded. Exploud opened its mouth wide and without warning made the ground shake with the loudest growl Ash had ever heard. All the pokemon that the Rockets had had fallen on the ground.

"Take down, Swampert!" Brock took that opportunity to strike. His Swampert tackled an unsuspecting Armaldo and Solrock into their trainers.

Two Rocket trainers stepped up and commanded their two Muk, "Poison Gas!"

"Mimey, Safeguard!" Delia called out. Everyone's pokemon were protected from the poison.

"Porygon, Tri-Attack!" Max yelled out. Three different elements overcame the two Muk and knocked them back.

"Exploud, Hyper Beam," Gary called out calmly. His Exploud stepped up and drew back its head. The Rockets all looked at each other in panic and even began to recall their pokemon and run away. Exploud threw its stored energy forward and defeated what was left of Team Rocket at the site. Ash looked around frantically and when he couldn't find what he was looking for he ran to his friends.

"What's wrong Ash?" Brock looked to him.

"Where's Misty?" He asked.

"Last we saw her she was inside with May," Max explained.

Suddenly, an explosion went off behind them. Everyone ducked for cover as debris flew in every direction.

"Mimey, Barrier!" Delia called out at the last second and protected everyone. Ash looked to the fire engulfed center and remembered about May.

"May's…still in there," he said softly. "Wait! May's still in there!" Ash stood up.

"Ash, what are you doing!" Delia cried out. "Ash, get back here!" He didn't listen however. In his mind he knew that May was in trouble and he had to get to her before anything bad happened to her. But before he could even get there, the Pokemon Center started to come down. Another explosion occurred and Ash covered his face with his arms as the whole place collapsed on its self.

"May!" Max yelled out from underneath Brock's arms.

Moments Later

Ash walked away from a few Officer Jenny's who were investigating on what had happened. He went over to Gary who was sitting on a bench. Max, Brock, and Delia were in the back of an ambulance, with some Nurse Joy's, getting some oxygen. However, this time Brock wasn't so impatient to get the Joy's phone numbers.

"Misty was taken by them…" Ash said softly. Gary looked up to him.

"What?" Gary asked. Ash sat down next to him.

"I had missed Misty more than anyone the entire time I was away on my journey. When I came back and saw how mad she was at me for leaving, I felt awful. I wouldn't leave her again. But now…she's been taken away from me. And then when I thought things couldn't get any worse, May's been…" his voice trailed off. Gary looked to Ash. Ash didn't say a word. He sat on the bench and stared at the ground.

"I'm sorry Ash," Gary stared back up at the others at the ambulance. "What happened to May can't be fixed, but you know you can still save Misty. You can still get her back." Ash continued to look down. "So are you ready to go?" Gary looked to Ash again. He was silent. "Ash?"

"…yeah…" Ash replied as he looked up. He then got to his feet and looked to Gary. "Yeah, I'm ready," Ash flipped his hat so it faced the other way now. "Let's go." When he said that Gary gave an unusual smile and then stood up himself.

Without saying a word to the others Ash and Gary walked away from the area and out of sight. Behind some trees, however, away from everyone, somebody else watched them leave. May looked as they began to make their way towards Team Rocket's Secret Base. She gave a smile and walked off into the forest behind the fallen Pokemon Center.


	7. Doubles May Cry

A/N: So sorry guys for the long hiatus. I've been real busy and I kinda lost the inspiration to write this story. But alas! I'm back! And I have come to finish what I've started. So rejoice trainers! Ash is in store for one crazy plot twist so stay tuned and read every chapter! Enjoy!

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Pokemon: 4 Years After

Chapter 7. Doubles May Cry

May looked as Gary and Ash began to make their way towards Team Rocket's Secret Base. She gave a smile and walked off into the forest behind the fallen Pokemon Center.

"I'll be there soon. Just hang on," Ash worried over Misty.

Deep in the woods of the Viridian Forest, a group of Rocket agents circled around two tied up people. They laughed and chuckled at the sight of their unconscious collected prizes. Misty and May were the two who were tied back to back, and their mouths covered with duct tape. Suddenly, Misty opened her eyes slowly and saw each of her captors. The Rockets only laughed. Misty looked around and saw about 5 Rockets and a camp site which seemed to be their small headquarters for whatever they needed to do.

Then suddenly, from the group came out one special agent. She walked through everyone as she came to the front. Misty looked up to her and tried to talk through the tape on her mouth. The girl laughed. She looked exactly like May. If Misty hadn't been tied up with May back to back then she would've thought it really was May. The May look alike knelt down to Misty and ripped the tape off her mouth. There was only one person she knew that had the talent to disguise herself that well.

"Duplica!" Misty yelled out the instant she could speak aloud again.

"I'm glad you remember me Misty!" She twirled in a circle and she was attired in Team Rocket clothing. "I knew you wouldn't be fooled by my Ash disguise earlier. That's good. But do you think Ash won't be fooled by my portrayal of you?" She laughed and then twirled in a circle. As soon as she came to a stop she stroke a pose identical to Misty's normal posture.

"Why you better not-!"

"I better not what? Hurt your dear Ashy boy? Oh I won't," Duplica smiled wickedly and crouched down to Misty's level. "He'll think it's you who's hurting him," She slapped Misty's face and then got up and laughed. Misty growled through her teeth. Duplica then walked over to a man and told him he now was in charge.

"Well, girls, I'm gonna be leaving now so don't try anything stupid and try to escape now, because we kinda took your pokeball off when we knocked you guys unconscious hehehehe!" She walked out of the forest still dressed up as Misty.

"So where is it?" Ash asked, wondering where Gary was taking him.

"Just around here. I've been here quite a number of times," Gary said calmly as he jumped over the trash from a fallen dumpster. Ash held a hand to his nose as they walked through the dark back alleys of Viridian City. "Team Rocket wouldn't just hold up a sign saying 'Head Quarters Here' now would they?"

"The Jessie and James I knew would…" Ash laughed a bit. Gary then came to a stop.

"It's here."

"Where?" Ash looked around.

"Right… errr…here," Gary lifted open a manhole, uncovering steps leading down to what seemed like an endless pit of darkness. Gary looked over to Ash. "Ready?"

Ash nodded immediately, "Yeah."

"Alright, let's go." Gary stepped down onto the first step and began to make his way down. Ash went down next and also began his descent.

"From this point on we're gonna be runnin' into security trainers," Gary told Ash.

"Security Trainers?"

"Yeah. I've run into them a few times before. They're pretty strong trainers whose job is to guard this underground tunnel."

"Doesn't sound like much trouble," Ash said as his foot touched the next step down.

"You'd be surprised to know how much trouble they can be," Gary stopped and looked up at Ash.

After a few more seconds, the two finally touched the ground and saw down a dark narrow hallway. Ash took a step forward behind Gary. Suddenly, the lights down the hallway began to turn on one by one until it reached them. It was very neat with tile and freshly painted walls

"Someone knows we're here," Gary said as he stared forward. Ash reached behind himself and grabbed a pokeball from his belt.

"Well, then I guess we won't have to worry about being quiet," Ash threw his pokeball forward. "C'mon out Heracross!" A bright flash of white light filled the room and a tall beetle pokemon stood before them. It hissed its name aloud as it looked back at Ash. Gary looked to the corner of the hallway and noticed a camera following all of their moments. Ash didn't notice it and began to walk down the hallway. Gary nodded into the camera.

"Are you coming?" Ash asked as he looked back. Gary turned to Ash and then started walking in his direction.

While Ash and Gary were making their way deep into Team Rocket's lair, Misty and May were trying to get out of Team Rocket's grasp. When none of the Rockets were looking her way Misty tilted her head back a bit so she could talk into May's ear without being noticed. May's mouth was still covered by the duct tape that had been put on her earlier, so all she could do was mumble and nod her head. However, before Misty could even open her mouth to talk to May she saw someone in the woods behind them trying to get their attention. Misty tried to see who it was and then recognized who it was. It was Todd, the photographer that she and her friends had met a long time ago. He signaled something and somehow Misty understood what he was trying to say. She then turned to her side and talked into May's ear, explaining what the plan was.

Todd ran into the woods and then somehow drew the Rocket's attention. They began to hear noises and go into the forest, trying to find out what the disturbance was. While they looked the other way May and Misty tried to stand up, but were unable to. Suddenly, coming from the opposite side of the Rockets came Todd running towards them.

"No long time no see Misty," Todd said as he slowly began to undo the ropes from the two.

"Same here Todd," Misty said with a big smile. Todd looked up frantically, knowing the Rockets would soon be back any second.

"Done!" He whispered silently. He pulled apart the ropes and May and Misty freed their arms. May then counted to three in her mind then ripped the duct tape that covered her mouth.

"OWWW!" May yelled out in pain.

"HUH! Wat the-!" The Rockets turned and saw Todd, May, and Misty all standing together about to escape. "Get'em!" About 4 Rockets called out their Pokemon. A Mightyena, Graveler, Ursaring, and a Raticate all stood in the way of the 3 heroes. Misty looked around and then ran to the table that held their pokeball belts. She grabbed hers and then threw May's to her. They each grabbed two pokeballs from their belts.

"Ready?" Misty asked May. May looked back at her and nodded with a big smirk on her face. "Alright then! Go, Golduck, Walrein!" Misty threw her pokeballs and out came her pokemon in a flash of light before them.

"C'mon out, Blaziken, Donphan!" May's pokemon appeared and shrieked out their battle cries.

"Todd, do you have any pokemon?" Misty asked as everyone stood in a stand off style.

"No, sorry guys. I'm not a trainer," Todd explained.

"It's alright. Just get behind us," Misty told him.

"What are you waiting for? Attack them!" The leader of the Rocket group commanded. As soon as the word was given all the 4 pokemon attacked. May got ready. Misty took a hand and pushed away the chunk of hair that covered one of her eyes and looked at the oncoming pokemon. "Ok, here goes!" Misty yelled out.

Back in the underground tunnel Ash and Gary slowly made their way down the narrow hallway. Gary led the way calmly but suddenly came to a stop when an unexpected dead end appeared. The hallway that had once seemed endless was now only a wall with a single door placed in the center of it. Gary turned to Ash.

"Once I place my hand on this door knob an alarm will ring and we'll face off against two Security Trainers. I've beaten two before myself so I'm sure they won't be too hard for us to double team them," Gary explained.

"Doesn't seem too hard," Ash took out another pokeball from his belt and held it in his hand.

"Once again, don't underestimate them. They're not like ordinary Rockets," Gary eyed Ash with a very serious stare. Ash's confident smile went away and he nodded seriously. Gary lifted his left arm away from his cloak and his left hand gripped the knob. A loud alarm filled the hallway and Ash's Heracross became startled. Ash lifted his hand and Heracross stood still and put on a game face. Gary took a breath and opened the door quickly. Ash looked up and saw into the other side of the door.

Ash saw a large factory sized room with sewage pipes on the high walls. The sewage dropped into a pool of mess, which surrounded a large platform hung by chains connected to the dark brick walls. In the center was a large pokeball outline; the kind that usually would be in the middle of an official pokemon battlefield. At the other side of the field were two guys; one who looked pretty big and buff and another who seemed pretty skinny yet not a push over.

"Ready Ash?"

"I was all ready before you opened the door," Ash looked serious and threw out his other pokeball.


	8. Escape from New Rocket

Pokemon: 4 Years After

Chapter 8. Escape from New Rocket

"Ready Ash?"

"I was all ready before you opened the door," Ash looked serious and threw out his other pokeball.

"Puh!" The large trainer on the right grunted. He was very tall and wore a large sleeveless trench coat. He had a beard that went around his jaw line and up into his wild hair. He had very dark eyes as well.

"Ash, don't show him your pokemon!" Gary urged. Ash didn't flinch and walked into the battlefield with his game face on as Absol stood next to Heracross.

"What a rookie mistake! Huh Duo?" The skinnier trainer turned his head as he spoke. He was tall, like his partner, but not as bulky. His side burns flew up to the sides instead of normally trailing down his ears. He held a led pipe over his shoulder and had a cigarette in his mouth.

"Only an amateur throws out his pokemon first, Ace," the big trainer replied.

"So you think you can get passed us. Is that right?" Ace smiled widely looking at Ash.

"I've gotten through here before," Gary said out loud catching the pair's attention.

"Have you now?" Duo scoffed. "Not on our watch you haven't. New Rocket has beefed up. We'll be sure to take you out before you even get an inch of this door," Duo eyed over his shoulder and looked at the door behind him.

"New Rocket?" Ash mouthed to himself.

"What are you talking about! New Rocket? What's going on?" Gary demanded to know.

"You say you've been here before?" Ace asked.

"Yeah!" Gary shouted.

"Obviously that was before New Rocket was formed," Ace laughed. "You see Team Rocket's gotten a facelift in the past week. Security has been upgraded and most of all we scare the living hell out of anyone who tries to come near the base. There hasn't been fear like this since Madam Boss was alive!"

"Arghhh…bastards…traitors," Gary gritted his teeth in anger.

"The best have been hired to protect the base from unwanteds," Ace continued. "The only way you could know of this passage is if you had exact contact with the boss, but it seems that the higher ups have decided to leave the boss for dead. So if he was in any way shape or form close to you, then I'm sorry, but he no longer is welcome here!"

"What?" Gary shouted. Ash tried to catch up with what was going on. With everything Gary had told him about Team Rocket it was no trouble realizing that Gary had somehow gotten into the inside before and had become a spy. But with each of Gary's reactions Ash's doubt kept growing.

Duo smiled, "you see, with the exception of you, no one knows the identity of the boss but the two exec's, and as it seems the boss hasn't showed himself in a while. So without warning, the two executives have decided to make sure he doesn't come back. You get it now, Gary?"

"How do you know who I am?" He snapped back.

"We were told a lot about you. How you've been trying to foil Team Rocket's plans for years now. Well, we're the new security and we're here to make sure New Rocket stands forever!" Duo walked into the battlefield and raised a fist. Ash squinted his eyes as Duo plucked a pokeball from the side of his glove. It enlarged in the giant's hand.

"Hariteyama, go!" Duo threw out his pokeball and suddenly a Hariteyama appeared on the grounds in a flash. Ace smiled wickedly and threw his cigarette into the sewage then stepped into battlefield. He reached for his led pipe and snapped off a pokeball that had been connected to it.

"Go, Haunter!" He slung his pokeball forward and in a bright light out came a hovering Haunter.

Ash looked to the two pokemon and then recalled his Heracross from the scene. Ash looked back to Gary. He didn't have an emotion on his face at all, but instead just stood there, silent as the grave.

"Gary?" Ash called. Suddenly, Gary threw one side of the cloak over his shoulder and stepped forward. He grabbed for a pokeball on his belt and then held it close to his chest. He looked up at Ace and Duo then threw his pokeball out like someone would throw dice. With that last flash, the final pokemon was out and the battle was about to start. Gary's Aggron stood next to Ash's crouched Absol, as Ace's Haunter hovered aside Duo's Hariteyama.

"This is gonna be one hell of a battle," Duo smiled.

"You got that right…"Gary said calmly. He pointed towards Hariteyama. "Aggron, Metal Sound!" Aggron tilted its head back and then came forward with a screeching noise for a growl. Everyone including Ash covered their ears. Duo and Ace's pokemon's defenses lowered substantially.

"Errr! Hariteyama, Focus energy!" It stomped its feet like a sumo wrestler and then gave out a loud cry as it summoned up strength.

"Absol, Quick attack!" Ash guided his Absol to attack Hariteyama

"Haunter, Confuse Ray!" Ace shouted as soon as Absol took a few steps towards them. Haunter smiled wickedly and then shot out a flashing light that trailed. Absol tried to dodge, but it was already too late. The ray hit Absol dead on.

"Absol!" Ash called out. "Are you okay!" Absol shook its head but couldn't recover. It stood there trying to compose its self.

"Hariteyama, Mega Punch!" Duo saw his chance to take on Ash's pokemon. Hariteyama ran with its mighty weight towards Absol and the place shook with every step.

Gary turned to Aggron. "Use Metal claw!" Aggron looked back to the rushing Hariteyama and cocked back its right arm. The entire arm and fist reflected a few times as it charged upon the oncoming pokemon. It growled loudly as it threw out its fist towards Hariteyama.

"Dodge!" Duo shouted. Hariteyama saw the punch and stepped to the side, keeping its set course.

"Iron Tail!" Gary commanded right after. Aggron fixed its footing and swung its reflective steel tail behind Hariteyama's legs. The giant didn't expect the attack and it got swept off its feet.

"Arghh!" Duo cried out. "Get up!" At that second Absol shrieked out and then looked back to Ash.

"Haunter, Shadow Punch!" Ace pointed with his led pipe. Haunter flew directly behind Aggron and disappeared as it began to start its attack.

"Great!" Ash saw his rejuvenated pokemon stand. "Now, Absol, use bite on Haunter!" Absol nodded and began its run towards the attacking pokemon. Haunter's Shadow Punch attack let off a dark smoke and it gave away its position. Absol suddenly pounced into the air. Ace's eyes widened as Absol came outta nowhere and attacked his pokemon. Absol's jaws came down on Haunter hard and knocked it down to the ground. Absol landed gracefully and looked at rest of the battlefield.

"Aggron, Take down!"

"Haunter get up!" Ace shouted to his pokemon.

"Hariteyama, roll over and dodge!" Duo commanded. Aggron missed and hit the ground, creating a small crater. Hariteyama stood up and stared back to Aggron. Haunter tried getting up as Absol stood close by, watching its every move.

"I gotta admit. You guys are good," Duo stood up straight and closed his eyes. "But no matter what, we can't let you pass! Hariteyama, Mega Punch!" Duo commanded. It cocked its arm back and then hit Aggron hard in its steel gut. It wasn't very effective, but it did knock it down to its knees. "Now, Seismic toss!" Hariteyama grabbed Aggron and held him over his head.

"No! Get out of it Aggron, Metal Sound!" Aggron screeched out its metallic sound, but Hariteyama still was able to jump high into the air. Absol was about to go help but before it moved Haunter reached over and grabbed its leg.

"You aren't going anywhere!" Ace shouted. "Ash Ketchum, it's over."

"Wait, how do you know who I am?" Ash was confused.

"Do you think we're really that stupid? Of course we know who you are. The exec's, Jessie and James have specifically asked for your demise if you ever were to show up."

"They never learn…" Ash trailed off.

"Haunter, lick!" Ace shouted.

Gary looked high in the air as his pokemon couldn't escape from the attack.

"Absol, Perish song!" Absol hung upside down under Haunter's grasp and let out a loud eerie shriek. Haunter growled and let go of Absol. In mid-air Hariteyama's eyes squinted as he tried to keep his grip on Aggron's metallic body as he heard Absol's unbearable song.

"Endure!" Duo yelled out. Hariteyama let go of Aggron and braced itself for Absol's attack.

"No!" Ace grunted as his Haunter took the attack right in his face.

"What are you doing!" Gary looked to Ash.

Ash turned to Gary and said calmly, "winning this round." Gary's Aggron fell hard to the ground below and caused the waters surrounding the battlefield to splash all around. The place shook violently, but with Haunter still heavily damaged from the bite attack, and hearing perish song, Ash gave Absol another command in all the confusion. "Use slash and finish it off!" Absol looked back at the fallen Haunter and let out a loud cry. Absol then started running towards Haunter and cut across its body. It was knocked back hard.

"C'mon Haunter, get up! It's not over yet!" Ace tried to coach his pokemon to continue but it was indeed over. Haunter breathed heavily, fell to the ground, and passed out.

"Haunter!" Ace cried out and looked up to Ash.

"We won't lose," Ash told him.

Hariteyama fell down to the ground and another quake shook the fighting stage.

"Errr, Haunter return!" Ace's pokemon was lifeless on the ground before it retreated back to its pokeball. Ash's Absol looked over to the two giant pokemon who were at a standoff.

"You can't beat me!" Duo yelled out with his arms folded.

"I don't have to beat you to win," Gary told him.

"What do you mean?" Duo squinted his eyes, looking confused.

"I'm not sure if you know, but Endure will only prolong your pokemon's defeat. Perish song has left a ticking clock on all our pokemon's energy. Whether or not you like it or not, this round is over," Gary grinned and looked over to Ash.

Duo gritted his teeth, "this isn't over! Hariteyama, run across the field and take care of his Aggron. Mega Punch!" Hariteyama nodded and began to stomp its way to the other side of the field. Gary smiled and took out a pokeball in his hand. As Hariteyama was about to make contact Gary withdrew his pokemon and summoned it back into its pokeball.

"You coward!" Duo yelled out.

"NO! Look at your pokemon," Gary told him. Duo turned back to his attacking pokemon and saw it beginning to lose control of its weight. It lost its balance and fell hard to the ground and passed out.

"That's the effect of Perish Song," Ash explained. "Any pokemon who hears the perish song will lose all its energy and pass out after a few minutes. That even includes the pokemon who even sang the song." He smiled heroically since he was the one who planned the small win. Ash knew they were soon going to get through, but yet he couldn't help worry about Misty and where she might be.

"Absol, you did a good job but you deserve a rest," Ash said as he recalled. He took out another pokeball and held it in his hand tightly. He looked up at his opponents and enlarged the pokeball. "Let's start the second round!"


End file.
